Vertigo
by Redatto
Summary: It was strange how much difference a single extra toe joint made. In which Bakugo Katsuki is quirkless and Midoriya Izuku isn't.


**I do not own My Hero Academia. **

**Warnings: Swearing(it's Bakugo after all), bullying, mild violence, sex references and implied intended rape, mentions of suicide.**

**Suicide is never the answer. Please contact a suicide helpline and talk to someone if things ever get that bad. **

* * *

Bakugo Katsuki enjoyed 5 years of being king. 5 years of childish naivety, of believing the world was amazing, that heroes would always beat up the bad guys with a smile.

He barely remembered those years now. He knew there had been a time when he'd been admired by everyone for his strength and intelligence, when the stupid green-haired nerd had followed after him like some fucking duckling.

Katsuki scoffed. This society was too fucking dumb if they thought it was normal to tell 5 year olds that they were effectively a subspecies because of an_ extra fucking toe joint._

When Deku was 4 and a half, he received a temperature control quirk. A mix of his mothers stupid telekinesis thing and his shitty father's fire breathing. Seriously, was that guy ever around? Deku's mother was married, right?

Deku wasn't the only one. One by one, his kindergarten class became flooded with exclamations and special powers. Katsuki would grin and point out their quirk's weaknesses, and then confidently declare that the world was saving the best for last.

He'd sit in his room for hours, abnormally focused for a young child, theorizing what his quirk would be. His father's quirk was Acid Sweat, which was kind of weird, but his sweat could _explode_ sometimes(even if they were small and lame) and that was call. The old hag had some weird liquid thing that made her look young even when she wasn't.

One word stood, in messy hiragana, in big letters at the top with two bold lines underneath it: Explosions.

That single word, that single theory, made Katsuki shake with excitement. His eyes gleamed as he watched the video of All Might tearing into the bad guys again. He was going to be a hero who was better than the Symbol Of Peace himself.

* * *

The doctor's face was blank, like he'd done the same thing a hundred time-which he couldn't have, since most of the 20% of quirkless people were in there 60s and above, and the doctor wasn't _that_ old. In fact, Katsuki doubted the man had said these words any more than 5 times, which meant the bluntness and lack of care was just because he was an asshole.

Scratch that, an incompetent asshole, since he obviously couldn't read X-rays properly. Katsuki stared at the white mass that was supposed to be his foot, and narrowed his eyes at the area indicated by the doctor. Sure, maybe there was _something _there, and _maybe _it could have been an extra toe joint, but it obviously _wasn't_, because _he wasn't quirkless._

The old hag held his hand-and he wasn't a baby, she could let go-and squeezed in an attempt to be reassuring.

"I'm sorry, Katsuki."

Katsuki's face was as emotionless as the doctor's was, in that moment.

"Whatever. Doesn't bother me, you old hag. I'm awesome anyway."

"Heh. Watch how you speak to your mother, you little brat."

On the way back from the doctors, the two descended into something between harmless banter and a shouting match. In that moment, it was easy to forget his lie.

The second he was alone-door shut, window closed, blinds pulled shut-it all came crashing down again. Katsuki wordlessly grabbed his sheet of possible quirks-the one he'd pinned above his bed, so he saw it every time he woke up-and ripped it in half in a single motion.

That night he stayed up far past his bedtime staring at the screen that showed All Might's Smash taking out the villains's in a single moment.

And he dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be like that too.

* * *

The children at Katsuki's elementary school were the second biggest gossipers in the world. The biggest were his mother's friends.

It astounded him how, just a month into the school year, every child from 1st grade to 6th grade knew that Bakugo Katsuki was quirkless.

(Or maybe he should have been more surprised that he managed to leave kindergarten without anyone finding out.)

They thought there were discreet, with there second glances and moving out of the way in the halls. It irked him how his classmates would always find some excuse to not be with him in group projects. It especially irritated him when several of the people who sat by him moved their desks forward and to the left, so they could sit with _Deku _of all people.

Because of course, everyone loved Deku. He had a pretty powerful quirk, now that he could control it. He was kind and modest, always had the latest information on heroes, and was dead set on becoming the next number 1 pro hero.

They even forgave him when the nerd had the audacity to walk up to Katsuki like they were long time friends. "Kacchan, do you want to work with us on the project? I'm sure the others won't mind."

There was an awkward silence for 1 second, 2 seconds, then Katsuki barked out a short, harsh laugh.

"Why would I, Deku? You know, useless nerds like you shouldn't get a big head just because they have some stupid quirk. Don't talk down to the next number 1 hero!"

_Him? The number 1 hero? Isn't he quirkless?_

_Yeah, what a joke. He couldn't even be the worst hero in the world!_

_He's always so angry. It's kind of scary._

_Who does he think he is, being so mean to Midoriya? _

_My dad said that all quirkless people are scum._

_Someone like him could never be a hero._

Katsuki kept his head up high, red eyes screaming with rage. He had half a mind to turn around and punch the hell out of all those idiots who didn't know how to whisper. He was interrupted by the teacher walking in, ordering the class to sit down.

Deku's gaze lingered on him for a second too long, green eyes watering with sorrow. But Deku wasn't upset at Katsuki. No, he was sad _for _Katsuki.

He didn't want Deku's pity.

**He didn't need Deku's pity.**

* * *

By the time he was 8, Katsuki was convinced the world was against him. His classmates still avoided him and whispered about him in the corridors; his teachers still had the same disapproving gaze no matter what he did; and Deku still looked at him with that fucking disgusting pity.

To make it worse, at the start of the year a group of 6th graders had decided that they'd cure their own inferiority complexes by giving him a hard time. The one time he tried to punch them, one of them turned his arm into some scaly thing and blocked it. Katsuki almost broke his knuckles.

One of them was walking by now. Katsuki stood tall, eyes glaring in defiance. The 6th grader knocked him to the side as he past, but made no other comment.

Katsuki scoffed. That just proved his point that they were nothing without their buddies to back them up. He said as much, just with a few more taunts and expletives, loud enough to carry to where the bully stood.

He turned around and cracked his knuckles, scales shooting down his arm. "Quirkless losers like you should learn to keep your mouth shut."

Katsuki could take one of them. He'd only lost before because all three of them-they were behind him. Two tall, not to mention broad, almost 13 year old boys with strong quirks were behind him. Another was in front. Katsuki hadn't even hit double digits, and although he was decently strong for his age the older boys could probably toss him around like a rag doll.

It would be illogical to fight them. It was unfortunate that Katsuki had never listened to logic. He wound up into a big right hook, fist flying through the air faster than it ever had before.

No one intervened in the fight. No one ever intervened, not even the ones that wanted to be heroes.

He limped into school the next day. If his eyes were slightly dimmer, and the light in them was rage and not pride, then no one noticed.

(Katsuki knew they wouldn't pay attention to the local quirkless loser anyway.)

* * *

Katsuki may have been quirkless, but he was still the least useless person in his class.

(One time he would have said 'the best', but Katsuki wasn't a naive 6 year old anymore. He was 12, and knew that real life didn't work like that.)

He was leagues ahead of the others in sports classes-you couldn't use your quirks in those, but he would still be the best even if you could-and his grades had never dropped below the top 3.

So this couldn't be happening. He stared at the class ranking sheet again, willing that some magical quirk would appear and change the ink around. The stupid thing could at least spontaneously combust.

1\. Random extra #1

2\. Random extra #2

3\. Midoriya Izuku

4\. Random extra #I don't fucking care

5\. Bakugo Katsuki

5th. _5th._ The stupid wannabes could waste all their time studying, whatever, but since when was _Deku _smarter than him? It was the final test of 6th grade, so the final exam of elementary school before he went to the local junior high.

But-But-Deku had _beaten him! _What the hell was with that?

(Katsuki knew why. He knew he'd been skipping school lately-not to avoid his classmates who'd taken up the mantle of tormentor after the dumbass older kids had left, despite what anyone said. He knew he'd stopped studying, preferring to destroy punching bags in his free time instead. He knew, but he didn't understand. This was _wrong_.)

He was better than Deku, right? Even if Deku had a quirk. Even if Deku was loved. Even if Deku became the next number 1 hero.

Deku was still Deku. The same useless nerd who spent all his time mumbling into his notebooks_(notebooks he'd use when he became a hero)_. The weakling who cried when he fell over(_he wasn't weak anymore). _The loser who trailed after Katsuki in awe(_Katsuki was trailing after Deku, now)._

Deku was still the idiot who took forever to learn how to control his dumb temperature quirk.

(_At least he had a quirk.)_

"Well done, Kacchan."

Deku was smiling. He was happy. Proud that he'd beaten Katsuki, and now he was coming to rub it in his face. Deku's smile gradually became strained when Katsuki made no move to respond.

"Listen, Kacchan-"

Katsuki was already gone.

* * *

He was in junior high now, so the old hag and the bad fashion designer had decided it was fine to leave him home alone for an hour or two. Katsuki was of the opinion that it would have been fine for years now, but the shitty witch claimed he wasn't mature enough.

Katsuki was totally mature enough.

He didn't have any homework, and he'd broken the last punching bag and hadn't got a new one yet. He didn't feel like going to the arcade or anything, so he turned on the computer.

There was a playlist of hero videos. At the top was the All Might video. Katsuki couldn't remember the last time he'd watched it. Some time in 5th grade? It was strange, considering how many times he played it when he was a kid.

He hadn't watched any hero video in a while, come to think of it. Nor had he thought of ways he could become a hero in years. It wasn't even a goal of his anymore.

It was probably just a stupid phase anyway.

He didn't know what made him click it. Most likely the intense boredom. He watched as All Might yelled the name of his ultimate attack, blowing the villains away like paper in the wind. The police and ambulances arrived, and the villains were handcuffed and taken away.

But that wasn't it. Katsuki looked closer. One of the villains was being taken away in an ambulance, arm broken and leg twisted at an awkward angle, blood rushing down his face. The road where the fight had taken place was cracked and wouldn't be usable for several weeks. A shop front was destroyed, glass shattering across the pavement. A little girl was getting bandaged from where some of the glass had hit her.

That hadn't been caused by the villains. It was All Might's Smash, wasn't it? Why would the number 1 hero do so much damage?

Katsuki watched it again. All Might's fist cracked into the thief's face.

(Knuckles rammed into his jaw, snapping his head into the metal of a locker. He saw laughing faces, jeering eyes and a fist preparing to make another blow.)

The villains' so called 'heinous crime' had been stealing a couple thousand yen from a grocery store. They were young-the injured one couldn't be older than 19. The store would be insured for the loss. The damages to the shop-the damages caused _by All Might_-would cost more.

The villains hadn't been that strong-or that smart, robbing a store in broad daylight. Why did All Might need to do that much damage? He was strong, it would have been easy to take them down. Unless-

Unless it _wasn't about taking the villains down. _All Might was showing off to the audience, risking collateral damage to do so. That was...

Katsuki wasn't angry, or even disappointed. He'd known for a long time that heroes were nothing but prideful showoffs. He'd wanted to be one, after all. Most of them were after fame or money anyway.

He didn't agree with the villains. Villains were scum and should be eradicated.

He didn't agree with the heroes either.

* * *

Katsuki had never learned how to keep his mouth shut.

So when he heard Deku go on and on and on about how 'heroes were great' and 'he loved them so much' like he wanted to sleep with them, he had to say something.

"Hey, why the hell d'you like heroes so much, Deku?"

Deku's eyes lit up like the starry-eyed waste of space he was, immediately launching into a propaganda speech about heroes.

Katsuki scoffed "Maybe the reason you like heroes so much is 'cause you know you're too fucking worthless to ever be one."

"Get lost, Bakugo! Izuku-kun will be a great hero!" Some nameless nobody who attached himself to the hero bandwagon called out.

Katsuki sneered. "Fuck off you extra. This is between me and Deku."

"It's not that Kacchan! I just want to save people, just like All Might does!"

Yeah. Like All Might. Like All Might who sends villains to the hospital for popularity. Isn't there supposed to be a rule about excessive violence?

"Don't fucking call me Kacchan."

"Sorry Kac-I mean, Bakugo."

Katsuki hated Deku. He hated his stupid pitying eyes, his annoying mumbling, the fact that useless Deku had a quirk and Katsuki_ didn't._

"What's so fucking great about heroes, anyway? All they do is hurt people and call it justice."

A fire lit in Deku's eyes. That had been the wrong question to ask the hero-obsessed nut job.

"They save people! They stop the villains and make sure everyone's all right. Heroes stop people getting hurt. But most importantly, they inspire hope. Once a hero comes you know that everything will be okay, and no one has to suffer anymore."

Bakugo's fist planted itself in Midoriya's temple before he knew what was happening.

"No one has to suffer, huh?! Where the fuck are your heroes now, then?! Where were they when I-?!"

Bakugo cut himself off. Deku had crumpled to the floor, and wasn't moving.

"Deku! Oi, stop fucking around, Deku! Get up already, Izuku!"

A teacher ran in, taking Deku to he nurse and ordering Katsuki to stand outside the principal's office.

His mother was dragged into school. Katsuki had to sit through a lecture about why fighting was bad and how disappointed the school were that a 'bright student' like himself was 'going down the wrong path'.

Deku was fine, he discovered. He had a mild concussion, but nothing serious.

(Any relief was overcome by anger as he remembered the numerous times he'd been beaten up, slammed into lockers and left to patch up his own wounds. Not once had any of them been punished. And yet one punch against miracle-child Deku and he's suddenly the bad guy.)

Katsuki was suspended for a week, and grounded for twice that. Both punishments came with stern warnings that there'd be further repercussions if the same thing happened again.

Bakugo Katsuki didn't cry, because Bakugo Katsuki _never cried_, but he didn't scream either. His silence unnerved his parents, but there was nothing they could do.

There was nothing anyone could do, short of somehow giving him a quirk. But that was impossible. Not even quirks could do that.

(He didn't return to school the day his suspension ended.)

* * *

He'd taken to staying out later at night, and hanging around shadier parts of town, the backstreets where no one went for legal reasons.

People probably thought he was a delinquent. Katsuki wasn't, he just got into a few fights here and there, but he respected the law and followed it. Even so, people took one look at his-natural-ash blonde hair and angry eyes and assumed he was up to something.

That was probably why he liked these areas of town so much. No one thought he was out of place here. He didn't have to face extras who thought they were worth something.

That would be his downfall. He was lucky to not have encountered any of the more unsavory business that took place in these alleys yet.

A couple walked past. It seemed average enough-a young man and woman walking around together. But Katsuki was perceptive. Perhaps too perceptive. He saw the fear and uncertainty dancing in the woman's eyes; the confident almost-sneer the man wore. He noticed how the man's grip on the woman's wrist was just a little too tight.

Katsuki had wanted to be a hero once, and his sense of justice hadn't died. With that in mind, he followed the couple, doing his best to seem like he just happened to be going in the same direction.

The woman made an attempt to pull away, but the man grabbed her arm with his left hand, his right still fixed around her wrist.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to do this-I'm not ready for it. Not yet-please respect that!"

"What? Didn't you say we would?"

"I changed my mind! I-I.."

"Can't even keep to a promise? What sort of woman are you?"

"I just...Sorry..."

"Yeah, sure you are. If you're done being a stupid-"

Katsuki pelted a rock into the asshole's face. "Hey, bastard! Get lost!"

"Stay out of this, kid. It doesn't concern you."

"She obviously doesn't want to be with you, so just fuck off already!" No one had ever claimed that Katsuki knew when to back down from a fight.

The woman took the opportunity to jab a finger into the asshole's eyes and run off. The man howled in pain. Katsuki felt a vindictive smirk spread across his face.

Red fur rippled across the man's body. He expanded in size and stood, off-balance on his two legs. The below average height man was now over 7 foot, twice as wide as Katsuki and sported claws the size of Katsuki's hand.

Despite all this, his head was still the same-smarmy, chipmunk-like, and definitely human.

That just gave Katsuki a target to aim for. This guy was just an old office worker or something. He probably expected Katsuki to run off as soon as he showed off his quirk.

Bakugo Katsuki's vocabulary had yet to encompass the word 'surrender'.

The fight was surprisingly even. The bastard had power, but he was slow and bad at taking hits. Katsuki was younger and faster, and packed a punch in his quirkless fists.

No one won, as the fight was intervened by a police officer, who ordered them both to stand down and then put handcuffs on both of them. The woman had got the authorities involved.

Why the fuck was Katsuki being treated like the bad guy? He'd helped the woman, and this guy was just asking to get his head kicked in!

Katsuki didn't get an answer as he stomped back and forth the police detainment cell. At least they'd taking the fucking handcuffs off, but couldn't any of them realize that Katsuki was the hero here?

His dad finally arrived-and dammit, the old hag might have been frustrating as all hell, but at least she actually got stuff done, unlike this guy who had about as much spine as an earthworm.

The police officer was finally allowed to get Katsuki's account, which he delivered with several expletives, reprimands and reminders not to shout.

Sighing, the pathetic excuse for law enforcement looked straight at Katsuki's father. "Bakugo-kun will receive an official police caution for this. He assaulted a respectable member of society, and you are both fortunate that there will be no further consequences." He turned to Katsuki, dull brown eyes clashing against enraged red. "Bakugo-kun, what you did could be considered vigilantism, which is highly illegal. You endangered others, not to mention yourself."

"I would have been fine! He was harassing that woman, and no one else would stop him!"

"Katsuki, we will discuss this at home. It is not your place to get involved in other people's lives. If something bad was truly happening, the police or heroes would deal with it."

Katsuki resisted the urge to scoff, and settled for a scowl instead.

* * *

He flicked through news articles on his phone, eventually finding the article that covered the incident. Katsuki's name wasn't mentioned-he was a minor, after all-and the article was more focused on rising rates of vigilantism in teens than in covering how much of an asshole the bastard he fought was.

Speaking of the bastard, his name _was_ mentioned in the article. Itou Makoto. Katsuki punched the name into a search engine and clicked the first result.

Some random producer, an anime character from before quirks and-shit, that guy was part of the Hero Public Safety Commission. The law enforcement agency that handled stuff like hero license exams.

The guy seemed pretty high up as well. Katsuki checked the picture and-yeah, that was definitely the guy.

The bastard had used his power to get away with harassing his girlfriend. That was corrupt as all hell. And the police had let it happen! That was why Katsuki was being punished for doing the right thing.

Not only were heroes scum, but the police were too.

What could a quirkless guy like him do in a world where all the good guys were selfish bastards?

* * *

Whenever he did turn up to school, Katsuki rarely made the effort to listen. He was basically screwed in life anyway, since everyone was biased against quirkless people, so there was no point trying.

This happened to be one of the days where his mind didn't offer anything other than expletives, and he was forced to listen to the teacher or destroy something as his anger at the appropriately nicknamed 'Corrupt Bastard'.

"As 3rd year students, it's time to start thinking seriously about your futures. I should hand out these career options sheets, but I know you all want to be heroes!" The teacher tossed the sheets in the air in some failed attempt to be cool. The extras cheered and activated their quirks.

"Idiots. As if any of you losers could be heroes."

"You wanna repeat that, Bakugo?"

"I called you an you really think being able to make your fingers longer is a good quirk for a hero? You'll be lucky to end up as the sidekick to some ex-vigilante D-lister."

The students rose from his chair, causing Katsuki to leap to his feet and face him.

"No fighting in class, you two. Sit down. And you all know you can't use your quirks in school." The teachers glanced around for a better way to slice through the tension of the room. "Ah, Midoriya, you applied to UA, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did...well, I'm also taking the entrance exams to Ketsubutsu and Shiketsu, so hopefully I'll get into one of those if I'm not good enough."

"You'll be fine, Midoriya. Everyone here believes in you and your quirk. Good luck at the exams."

"I'll try my best!"

Katsuki stared at his desk with a dark expression. Of course _Deku _was going to UA. Of-fucking-course.

"Oh right, Bakugo, you probably need one of these career sheets, right?"

* * *

Midoriya Izuku was a mostly average prospective hero. He had a decently sized group of friends, had good grades, a somewhat powerful quirk and admired All Might.

Izuku wanted to go to UA and become the number 1 hero-he knew it was a common goal, but there wasn't any point aiming for anything less than the best, and he wouldn't achieve anything if he didn't try. He was in his last year of junior high now, and should be focusing on his plans for the future, in training and studying for the UA entrance exam.

Instead his thoughts were entirely preoccupied by one Bakugo Katsuki. On the surface, nothing seemed wrong at all. They were childhood friends, but grew apart as they became older due to their different paths. So why couldn't Izuku shake the feeling that something was wrong with Kacchan and it was his fault?

Izuku just about remembered his childhood. He'd idolized Kacchan back then. Part of his still did. Kacchan was smart, and strong, and confident in everything he did. Then, when he was 5, the proud smile lost its edge. Izuku knew that Kacchan was quirkless, but he hadn't really understood it then. He'd been too lost in his own world of youth and heroes and the magic that quirks were.

Kacchan had stopped talking to him in elementary school. That had been fine. Izuku had his own group of friends, and he assumed that Kacchan was amazing enough to earn the admiration of everyone in the school.

But this world wasn't fair. Not all men were created equal. If you were part of the 20% of the population without a quirk, nothing else you did mattered.

Izuku was still a child. He wasn't incredibly observant, and Kacchan hid it well. It wasn't until Kacchan limped into the classroom, a purple bruise against his cheekbone, that Izuku put together the pieces and realized Kacchan was being bullied.

Izuku was a hero-in-training, but he was also a child first and foremost. The 6th graders were big, so instead of some valiant charge into the middle of everything. He gave the bullies names to his homeroom teacher.

Nothing happened. Izuku didn't understand it. Teachers were authority figures, and although they weren't as cool as heroes they should still be listened to and accepted. But the teachers did nothing for Kacchan.

Maybe Kacchan did his usual thing, and dismissed any help claiming he could deal with everything himself.

Maybe.

It didn't matter anyway, right? The bullies were off to junior high by the end of the year, and they wouldn't bother Kacchan anymore.

It was probably nothing.

Izuku felt guilty about it anyway.

He attempted to rekindle his friendship with Kacchan. He started with small things-a smile, waving good morning to him, congratulating him when he did well on tests, and other things like that.

At the end of 6th grade, when he saw Kacchan staring particularly hard at the class rankings sheet, he made sure to congratulate Kacchan for getting 5th in the year. Most people categorized Kacchan as a quirkless delinquent, and didn't see how smart he was, or how hard he worked. Izuku knew that Kacchan was one of the smartest people he knew, and he would probably become a hero even without a quirk.

That was the conclusion he had written at the bottom of the two page spread about Kacchan in Hero Analysis for the future #4, complete with later revisions about quirkless combat and support items his fr-neighbour could use.

Izuku wanted to be friends with Kacchan, like when they were small. He didn't mind Kacchan's pride-it was well'earned, in his opinion-and he definitely didn't care that Kacchan was quirkless.

So when Kacchan asked him a crudely worded question about why he liked heroes, Izuku seized the opportunity with both hands, and a foot too. Kacchan had always loved heroes just as much as Izuku did. This was common ground between them, and would provide the opening Izuku had been searching for!

And then the conversation was derailed, badly. Izuku realized that maybe Kacchan didn't like heroes as much as he thought as he crashed to the ground.

Kacchan still opened fights with a big right hook.

Izuku awoke in the nurse's office, dazed and hurt, but not overly angry. It was Izuku's fault-he should have realized Kacchan didn't love heroes anymore.

Kacchan had been hurting, and no hero had come to save him. Izuku pulled his heart together and gave an All Might worthy smile, vowing to be the hero that would help Kacchan.

But Kacchan didn't come back to school after his suspension ended. The next time he saw him rumors were already flying around that Kacchan had been arrested for assault.

All the light in Kacchan's eyes were gone now. Izuku tried to talk to him, but was pulled back by his friend.

"We have midterms coming up. You need to keep your grades up if you want to get into UA, so you shouldn't spend time worrying about a delinquent like that."

Izuku opened his mouth to protest that Kacchan wasn't a delinquent-but that wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Yeah," he said instead. "I guess you're right."

He just talk to Kacchan after he got into UA. One thing at a time.

* * *

Katsuki hated life. He hated how everyone loved Deku. He hated how the good guys were villains. He hated how he didn't have a quirk. He hated how some assholes got away with whatever the hell they wanted.

_"If you want a quirk so badly, just take a leap of faith off the nearest cliff!"_

Idiots. There weren't any cliffs in Musutafu anyway. There was, however, access to the school roof. The school roof which had no guard rails.

Katsuki put his hands on the wall and looked down. It was pretty high up here. Imagine if he did jump. Those guys would get it for sure. They might even be charged with instigating a suicide.

Suicide rates were at an all time low in Japan, especially amongst minors. Heroes often had patrol routes past high buildings so they could talk down any jumpers they saw. For most, the mere presence of heroes was enough to inspire hope.

There was no hero around here.

If he jumped, there would be a scandal-the school would be investigated, and all the bullying and discrimination would come to light. Some of the teachers would be fired. His main bullies would be found, and there was no way they'd be allowed into a hero school after that.

(Deku would probably blame himself for failing to save Katsuki. The loser always thought he was worthy of being a hero.)

He might even make it onto the news. The media were the biggest villains to heroes. Katsuki's suicide would definitely serve as one last 'Fuck you' to the heroes.

Katsuki took a few steps back. Why the hell was he trying to talk himself into this?

There was no way he was actually contemplating this. He had way too much to live for. There was the old hag, and the earthworm, and...

He'd already knew he had no hope of a good future. His grades were low, he couldn't bring himself to care enough to try and be good enough to counteract the natural disadvantage he would have whenever he tried to get a job. Itou Makoto was a permanent black mark against his record and his mind; proof that this world was fucked up.

It wasn't like in the movies, where you took your shoes and socks off, and lined them neatly next to your jacket. He didn't need any ceremony or preparation.

Katsuki didn't care enough to have to write a note.

He could just jump.

Katsuki climbed up on the ledge and assessed the height again. He'd definitely die, especially if he landed head first. It probably wouldn't even hurt.

Maybe a hero would catch him. That was what they were supposed to do, right?

He wasn't running. It wasn't because of what the dumbasses said-it was because it was the only thing he could do, to try and show the world how their heroes were failures.

They'd understand that, right?

He closed his eyes, and took a step into empty air.


End file.
